A bend in the road is not the end of the road-- unless you fail to make the turn.

White Knuckle Christianity

…so that by
the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Some
days you wish you had never gotten out of bed. The inspiration from Sunday’s sermon
is long gone and the rest of the week glares at you from the calendar. You
can’t even find hope at all, much less abound in it. You had great hope Sunday
afternoon. You were gonna make some changes, step it up, recommit yourself to
your life’s purpose. You even set your Bible on the edge of the table to remind
you to read it. But by the time that early alarm rang, the enthusiasm had
dwindled. What happened to your hope? Shouldn’t it last longer than that?

One
lesson all Christians must learn is that we cannot live the Christian life in
our own strength. If we appear to be succeeding by our own efforts, we puff up
with pride. If we fall flat, we slink off in defeat.We can’t even love God the way we should.
Only God can love God like God should be loved. And only God can live according
to the standards He sets for us. He set it up that way on purpose—to highlight
just how badly we need Him. We hang on to hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
living in us. The more we yield to His direction, the stronger our hope. We
don’t try harder, we surrender more. The more our lives are yielded to Him, the
more we can abound in hope. The hope that lasts longer than Sunday’s sermon.

Are you worn out from trying to “act like a Christian” in your
own strength? Don’t try harder; surrender more.